Tuesday, July 3, 2007

13 excuses for the 13 day lapse

There's been a lapse here! I'd apologize but I have this gut feeling that tells me it really isn't necessary, unless I feel like being sorry for myself. Which I don't. It's the blog itself that could use some Metamucil right about now. But anyway...

Since I do feel compelled to get the literary lead out, or at least spew some text that's more indulgent than useful (useful? what's that?), let's have some fun here. Thirteen days of lapse? Let the excuses begin:

13. My band workshop was winding up, and finally wrapped with a performance last Thursday at the Red Devil Lounge. A more detailed run-down than I have the patience or time to write out at the moment can be found at my good friend and co-worker Julie's blog. Julie was also the keyboardist and one of three singers in the group, the other two being guitarist Djuna and myself. I sang lead on the Modest Mouse tune "The View" while also playing rhythm guitar parts and leads. I had never done anything like that before, so it really did make me a bit nervous. But I got through it. All those nights of practice, and the performance itself, hogged precious blogging time.

12. My grandmother died. Last Saturday, my mother called to tell me that my 85 year old Italian "Nonnie" was back in the hospital, this time with pneumonia. That night she was gone. It brought to an end five weeks of back and forth with hospitals and nursing homes since she fell and broke her hip. So Monday morning I flew out to Rhode Island, arrived that evening. The wake was Tuesday afternoon, the funeral was Wednesday morning, and by Thursday night I had arrived back in San Francisco with just enough time to eat, change, and get over to my performance. Precious blogging time hogged yet again.

11. I actually did plan on writing about four recent CDs I picked up. There was that Amy Winehouse disc, Back to Black, which just blew my mind. She sounds like she was plucked right out the '60s girl group scene, but she surely would have been banned for singing songs about not wanting to go to rehab and asking such bold questions as "what kind of fuckery is this?" And then Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris has been spinning quite a bit, along with the new McCartney album, Memory Almost Full. Not in the mood for a full review just yet, but I will say this about the latter: I feel it just might be one of Paul's all-time best albums, right up there with Ram, Band On The Run, McCartney II and Tug Of War. Call me crazy if you must. The one that is fascinating me the most right now is the recent double disc reissue of Marvin Gaye's In Our Lifetime. That one I must write about soon. But not now. Too many discs all at once, too little time!

10. Work is stressing me out. I get home and I don't want to think too hard. Writing does take some thought, you know. Right?

9. My other site, The Front Parlour, needed an update. And if you check it out, you'll see that I had another review published in the June issue of Performer Magazine. Which I didn't bother to notice until... the end of June.

8. I spend too much time reading other people's blogs. Actually, mostly I spend too much time reading the most excellent jefitoblog. Check out the new Friday feature called Chartburn, where jefito and a team of others skewer rock hits of the past with the help of some youtube videos and lots of wit to spare. I swear you'll become addicted. It's a music geek's heroin.

7. I stumbled onto Lost-In-Tyme, another most awesome music blog, and suddebly found myself indulging in super rare slices (nay, loaves!) of R&B. Somebody stop me!

6. I started reading a collection of Lester Bangs writings called Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, edited by the esteemed Greil Marcus, and realized just how shitty a writer I am. Lester Bangs was one bad motherfucker. I, on the other hand, am a clean-cut hack. Lester Bangs was the Jimi Hendrix of rock criticism. He elevated it to a literary art form. He makes me want to quit, just like how listening to John McLaughlin makes me want to put my guitar away for good. Read it and you'll understand what I'm talking about. On second thought, don't. I'm not ready to quit just yet. I think.

5. I actually took the time to read through all of If I Did It, the O.J. "confession" referenced in my previous post. What can I say? I was curious. And I can confirm for you that it's every bit as crass, arrogant and "confessional" as you already figured it would be. According to a recent AP story, the Goldman Family now owns the rights to the book and expressed a desire to release it under a new title: "Confessions Of A Double Murderer." Hoo boy!

About

By day, I look after the publicity office for a major university. After-hours, I indulge in my passions: playing guitar, writing about music for blogs and print publications, eating, and singing at the local karaoke bar, among other things. I am also continuing to learn more about the web as I look to the future, where I eventually see my love of music, writing and the web combining into some sort of sustainable, harmonious union.